Friendly Fire Death in Afghanistan

[SASless]

Tragic news......



Female soldier killed in Afghanistan named - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9633805/Female-soldier-killed-in-Afghanistan-named.html)

[Shack37]

Ms Channing is only the third British female to be killed in the military
campaign since 2001. A total of 435 British troops have died.



Indeed, very tragic and here's hoping there'll be no more.

Re the quote above from the DT (my bold). Very badly worded for me, almost suggesting there should have been more. Can't these journos think before going into print?

[Bob Viking]

I personally wish the press didn't feel it necessary to single out the fact that female soldiers have died as if it is any more important/exceptional than if a male counterpart had died. Everyone out there is doing a bloody great job and no death is any more or less tragic than any other. There are enough women doing equally dangerous jobs now that we shouldn't be surprised if some of them are unfortunate enough to lose their lives.
In some ways I view it as disrespectful when one fatality gets more attention than one that happens at the same time purely because they belonged to a different demographic.
BV

[SRENNAPS]

BV

Agreed

[Shack37]

My comment was in no way meant to criticise the press for emphasising a female fatality which, in this instance they did not. The report clearly informed us of the death of two serving personnel in an incident, one of whom was female.
My moan is the use of the word ONLY in the report. As if three were not enough.

RIP both and condolences to their families and friends.

[Bob Viking]

I understood your point and mine was basically unrelated to yours. I was just making an observation based on reports I have read about this case and other, similar, cases. No offence intended.
BV

[Shack37]

BV
Non taken, we're on the same side.
S37

[Genstabler]

Does not seem to have been friendly fire, at least not blue on blue. More likely green on blue. Confused reports circulating.

[baffman]

An initial review at the scene concluded the shooting was not a “friendly fire” incident involving British forces, but was caused “by a third party or parties whose identities have yet to be established but who are not UK personnel”.

“Further investigation into the involvement or otherwise of the dead Afghan male is on going,” said the Ministry of Defence.



Source: British Army medic and Royal Marine were not shot dead by own forces - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9636861/British-Army-medic-and-Royal-Marine-were-not-shot-dead-by-own-forces.html)

Makes sense to me. Admittedly this is from the same reporter in Kabul who caused such upset by including the word "only" in his previous report.

[Thelma Viaduct]

I find it disrespectful that any UK armed services member is sent over there to risk their life for the square root of FA, their gender is irrelevant.

Which politicians are responsible for sending them in the first place? They should be jailed for not having the intelligence to realise it was folly from the off.

[P6 Driver]

I feel sad when the death of ANY armed forces member is announced from a combat area. I find it a little offensive when a high profile to a death is given by news organisations such as the BBC (and others) seemingly just because a female is involved.

I would be better served by news outfits giving a higher profile to all of them equally. Too often, deaths are now mentioned low down on the agenda and almost as an afterthought.

[monkeytennis]

What a mess. Bring them all home and stop wasting lives on an unwinnable and morally corrupt conflict. :sad:

[Tankertrashnav]

I thinks it's a little disingenuous not to expect the press to treat the death of a female soldier differently from that of a male one. No-one is arguing that the death of either is any more or less tragic than the other - of course it isn't, particularly as far as families and loved ones are concerned.

However it remains a fact that having women on active service in the "firing line" is a relatively recent phenomenon, and the figures speak for themselves - three women is still a tiny number, although it is obviously three too many. The death of a female soldier is therefore still newsworthy - tragically, as the weeks and months pass, the deaths of male servicemen become less and less an item of news.

Roll on the day when we are out of the damned place.

[parabellum]

Too often, deaths are now mentioned low down on the agenda and almost as an
afterthought.

You may be right P6 Driver but today things have improved a lot. My brother was blown up and killed in Aden in 1966, a week later three lines appeared in The Telegraph, he was buried, WFMO, in Litle Aden, no mention anyware. Compare that with today.

[SASless]

MonkeyTennis....I absolutely agree with you.....Bring them home today....not tomorrow. Leave the tents...the Lorries....the whole kit.....just pack their personal kit and leave. Declare Victory....raise a couple of fingers to them....and bring the Troops home.

[Two's in]

Thank goodness history is not regarded as an important subject in today's education, otherwise we might be forced to learn something;

Simla Manifesto 1838 - The British denied that they were invading Afghanistan, instead claiming they were merely supporting its legitimate Shuja government "against foreign interference and factious opposition.

1843 Quote by the British army chaplain Rev. G.R. Gleig regarding the (First) Anglo-Afghan War - "a war begun for no wise purpose, carried on with a strange mixture of rashness and timidity, brought to a close after suffering and disaster, without much glory attached either to the government which directed, or the great body of troops which waged it. Not one benefit, political or military, was acquired with this war. Our eventual evacuation of the country resembled the retreat of an army defeated”.

[TheWizard]

Any chance of changing the title of this thread now?
BBC News - Royal Marine and Army medic deaths 'not friendly fire' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20107178)

[glojo]

I thinks it's a little disingenuous not to expect the press to treat the death of a female soldier differently from that of a male one. No-one is arguing that the death of either is any more or less tragic than the other - of course it isn't, particularly as far as families and loved ones are concerned.

Totally agree and I am 100% against ANY woman bearing arms and if that makes me out of touch, then I prefer being out of touch. This was a medic putting her life on the line to look after a bunch of roughy toughy Commando and I am positive those Royal Marines would have also treated that lady with more respect than that of a male nurse\soldier.

I heard rumours that it MIGHT have been a 'blue on blue' incident but I took those rumours with the proverbial pinch of salt and was hoping this was not so.

A terrible waste of human life and I respectfully ask .... For what???

How many more of our service personnel are going to get injured\maimed or killed before we pull out and let the Taliban take back that country?

Per Mare, Per Terram

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who have suffered as a result of this conflict.

[Bob Viking]

TTN.
Disingenuous? I think not. Idealistic perhaps. Naive even, but not disingenuous!
BV

[mini]

RIP the fallen.

Makes sense to me. Admittedly this is from the same reporter in Kabul who caused such upset by including the word "only" in his previous report.

I have had the dubious honour of working in many "hot spots", there are very few journos who have reported accurately IMHO, they make a dash out to the nasty bit, dash back to their comfy hotel/base and file crap, usually totally missing the local context etc.

For every good one, there are a hundred dopes.